5 Great Black & White Capsule Wardrobe Pieces

I find myself leaning towards monochromatic colors for the basics of my wardrobe but I love having lots of pattern to mix it up a bit. These pieces would make fun additions to any wardrobe!

1. I'm crazy about loose tops and this one is perfect. Instead of polka dots ~ they're paisleys.

2. These adorable shorts would go with a multitude of colors or simply gray, white and black.

3. Sandals that are comfortable enough to walk around in and still dress up any outfit.

4. I love the light look of this scarf, perfect for summer layering.

5. This tote takes the cake ~ I am always weak when it comes to anything with old fashioned typewriters or inspiration to write.

Would any of these fit nicely into your wardrobe? What's your favorite of the five?

Much Love Monday #4

I've been eating parfaits a lot lately. It's a delicious sugar-free treat for breakfast or snack ~ plain yogurt, coco-nutty granola, and frozen blueberries. // I heard Chrisopher L. Heuertz speak last weekend and it was inspiring. He worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta and has been an activist against human trafficking for 20 years. His three books are high on my to-be-read pile. // I found this photo on my phone from last October and I'm so glad I kept it. I love this porch, everything about it says "happy" to me. But then, yellow is one of my happy colors and these yellow-painted seats are adorable ~ not to mention the painted-on pillows! They look real, don't they? // I think I've mentioned the puzzle craze that goes on at our house. My husband and middle daughter are the best and most diligent at it. Steve finished this one. // I continue to learn more on my ukulele. I know about six chords that have helped me play lots of songs. I say "play" loosely because it's mostly me strumming ~ no rhythm or form to it. The sheet music in the photo is to the song, Mad World; I love playing it. //

Let's start Monday off right by celebrating what we love. What are you loving today?

Childhood Jewelry Box

I painted this jewelry box in art class when I was little. Now it holds all my small earrings. I love seeing it everyday; it reminds me of childhood and my young fascination with life's beauty. 

Do you have something from your childhood that you still use or enjoy today?

Much Love Monday #3

Almond flour dollar~sized pancakes // Ponytail wars // Her first prom // Instax photos // One pot of comfort food// Scrapbook pages for art journaling //

Let's start Monday off right by celebrating what we love. What are you loving today?

Shakespeare Lip Balm

My husband gifted me with these awhile back and I've been meaning to share them with you. Aren't they adorable?! I love Shakespeare; took a class on his plays in college and it was my favorite class ever. A collection of Shakespeare lip balm is about the most perfect gift for an literary geek, don't you think? And since I know someone will ask me, he ordered them from Archie McPhee.

Have an awesome weekend, do something nice for yourself!

Five April Goals

Hello April!

Feel like I say this every month, but wow, that month flew by. I guess that means it's on to new goals!

Let's see how I did on March's goals:

1. Stay off the scale. This goal was about freeing myself from the pressure. I won't say that I never weighed in, but I didn't get on near as often as usual and it was refreshing. I just focused on healthy behaviors.

2.  Write 5,000 words this month. I don't know what was with me this month but I really struggled in the writing department. Towards the end it picked up, but I still didn't reach 5,000. 

3.  Read a memoir and a writing book. This was kind of two-in-one but I enjoyed both the memoir and the writing book! I wrote about the memoir (29 Gifts) last week and I'll write about the writing book (The Memoir Project) soon.

4.  Reduce clutter in the kitchen. YES! I had a sweet helper with this one. We cleaned out all the tupperware and reduced it to the ones with lids only!

5. Surprise someone in need of company. I got the privilege of doing this for friends who needed some encouragement; their company was also uplifting for me!

Four out of five is definitely my sweet spot.

Now onto April's goals:

1. See the movie, Insurgent. Just cause I wanna.

2. Read two more books. This is something I love to do, but when I make it a goal it's like giving myself permission so I don't feel guilty doing it. {Yes, I'm aware that's crazy logic}

3. Get a more organized routine in my daily life. I have a few routines down, but I would really like to cement a more permanent writing time and exercise pattern.

4. Focus on photography. I really want to give myself more time to experiment with photography as a hobby and as a help to the blog. I have a fun project I'm thinking of trying but I'm working out the details before I share it.

5. Share more daily life photos. I love looking back through my archives and finding snippets of life throughout the years. I haven't done as well with that lately and I want to get back to it.

Do you have any plans for April? Any goals you'd like to accomplish?

For the Love of Color

Color is something that often takes my breath away. I saw a video the other day for glasses that allow color-blind people to see colors they've never experienced before. I teared up watching their responses upon seeing green and red for the first time. The privilege of seeing color is something I often take for granted. But when I come across something beautiful, like artistic walls on a random building, I'm reminded what a pleasure it is. Something so simple and yet so moving.

Wishing you a color filled day today!

Spring Break

We hopped over to Oklahoma City during our Spring Break and had a fantastic time. It's always fun to get away from routine and enjoy new surroundings with your favorite people.

We went to the zoo first. We saw a huge brown bear scratching his back on a tree. My favorite part was the baby elephant. We couldn't get very close to her but here is a fuzzy shot because I couldn't leave without a photo.

Sooo cute. And I especially loved the butterfly exhibit. ;)

Afterwards we went to the OKC Bombing Memorial. Obviously emotional and invoking of deep thoughts. We like to sober our kids on vacation. Then to end on a happier note, we went to an Escape Game. 

They lock you in a room with clues everywhere and you have an hour to figure out the code to the door to get out. We knew we would either conquer the code or kill each other trying, ha. It turned out to be a fantastic team-building experience. We had so much fun and finished with fifteen minutes to spare! Which apparently is good because only 38% actually crack the code. Yay Team Denton!

I love taking little trips like this, and fortunately my husband is the best at planning unique, interesting adventures for us.

What's your favorite kind of getaway?

Lettering Love

Growing up, I loved practicing my penmanship. I would obsess on whatever letter of the alphabet needed improving. If I saw someone's handwritten D that was waaay cooler than mine, I would practice over and over until I got it like theirs. I had pages of letters in my notebook. Even now, I geek out at the thought of lined paper, or graph paper. All those lines just waiting to be filled!

So, when I won this amazing book (above) from the blog OhMyHandmade along with a handful of delicious pens, I was ecstatic! If you know me at all, you know that pens are my thang. If I have a favorite pen, you better STAY AWAY! Er, I mean . . . please may I have that back when you're finished? tap-tap-tap *glaring stare*

I love the lettering craze going on right now. The options are almost overwhelming. It's like being in a library full of your favorite authors and trying to pick one book!

Needless to say I've already read through Creative Lettering and Beyond once and tried some of the techniques. I may share my progress later as I go along.

Do you love lettering? Have you tried your hand at any fancy techniques like calligraphy? What's your favorite style?

Five March Goals

Wow, I cannot believe February is gone. This year is moving crazy~rapid. But I'm happy we finally got snow at the finish line of winter. I know there are people who've had heaps of it and hate it to death, but we'd not missed one school day by the end of January and I was feeling miffed. To my happy surprise, February brought several little snowstorms that gave us just enough slickness to stay in ~ and I adore staying in on a snow day!!

But today's post is about goals and now it's time to find out how I did last month on mine:

1. Write 1000 words each weekday. I should've given myself a little more slack than a thousand words each weekday. I should've just set a number goal and worked to achieve it; even if it didn't happen each day. Ah well...I did get writing done and that's the important thing.

2. Practice Spanish sounds and spellings in my Anki trainers (by Fluent Forever) daily. Yes! I'm getting faster at this by the minute which makes me so happy!

3. See the movie, You're Not You. I can't believe I didn't finish this one ~ seeing movies is one of my favorite things, gah! It just seems with snow days and various things I didn't make it to the theater. Well, hopefully I can catch up to watch it in March.

4. Get rid of two more garbage bags of stuff. I did, I did! And I could probably unload even more from my kitchen. I'm determined to do that soon.

5. Read two books. Oh yes, delicious ones. I love you, library.

That's not too bad a start for the year, but I hope to get even more goals marked off for this month.

Here are my five March goals:

1. Stay off the scale. {Did you chuckle?}This may seem like a silly one, but I'm giving myself a month off from checking weight. What is it with us and being obsessed with this number? I want to just focus on eating my best and staying active so I feel good. Staying off the scale will give me that chance.

2.  Write 5,000 words this month. That's a low number for an entire month, but I'm going to set myself up for success this time!

3.  Read a memoir and a writing book. These are two of my favorite kinds of books, so this is a pleasure goal.

4.  Reduce clutter in the kitchen. I'd love to see at least one large bag gone by the end of the month.

5. Surprise someone in need of company. We've had lots of sickness with elderly friends who might like a visit.


What are you hoping to do in March?

What I've Been Reading Lately

I found an article yesterday that said hobbies you loved as a child are most likely the hobbies that will refresh you as an adult. My favorite childhood pursuits were reading (so surprising), music, and asking a million questions, which surprisingly all still ring true today.

Now for the real reason you opened this post, the books:

Here If You Need Me, by Kate Braestrup. This book--mwah! This is a bea-u-tifully written memoir about a woman whose husband dies unexpectedly and how she moves forward, eventually becoming a chaplain to game wardens. While it may seem that game wardens in Maine wouldn't have much need for her, you'll be surprised. Her well-told stories of hunting for lost ones, comforting grieving families and encouraging wardens will captivate you. This book is moving, funny and inspiring. One I would highly recommend.

Ignore Everybody and 39 Other Keys to Creativity by Hugh MacLeod is chalk full of helpful and hilarious tips on moving forward with creativity (not to mention his fun business card art). He has the ability to wryly kick you in the pants while making you laugh. I set this book down, grabbed a pen, and started creating!

Because I'm insatiably curious and still love to ask questions, do you find that your hobbies today are similar to the hobbies you loved as a child?

Dear Log

I've been keeping a logbook (an idea from Austin Kleon's book, Steal Like an Artist) to document my daily activities or little things I want to remember about a day. It's easier than a diary because it's just a few things jotted down in list-style ~ and I love lists, also doodling.

I've not been so great at my Instagram photo challenge, maybe I'll improve as the year goes on, but for now I'm happy to rely on the log to capture these little glimpses into my day.

What is your medium of choice to capture thoughts or moments?

Book Love: Fluent Forever

I've been wanting to learn other languages for awhile and honestly when I read the fluent in Fluent Forever, I felt giddy with hope. I've struggled with feeling I just didn't have what it takes to learn languages because I took Spanish earlier in life and it didn't come easily nor did I retain much of it. So, reading this book has been super exciting, to say the least.

He has a grasp of how to learn languages to permeate your mind so that by the end, it's second nature. It's sort of simple in concept, but more habitual when it plays out. He uses a system of cards (physical or electronic) and he suggest learning sounds first so that the words come easier later. That's summing it up too simply...there is SO much in this book.

I'm only beginning to learn Spanish in the way he suggests (and it probably helps we're kindred spirits in the way we learn) but I can already see huge progress in how I'm remembering things. If you have a desire to learn another language, I highly recommend this book!

It makes me want to learn ALL THE LANGUAGES! This may be listed in all my monthly goals this year. :)

Have you wanted to learn more languages? Or have you had success in learning other languages? If so, any tips?

Photo Project

What I'm learning about my photo project on Instagram:

*It's helping my gratefulness increase. It causes me to stop every day and savor something.

* I apparently like close-ups. That could be an eyesight problem, ha, but it also reveals the way I like to see the world ~ intimate and detailed.

*I'm not sure how to get a focused photo with my phone camera. I'm hoping practice will help me in this.

The point is I'm learning, right? I'm still clumsy about remembering to take a photo every day but I know it'll become a habit soon enough. I also know I'll be grateful at the end of the year for all the ordinary moments I captured (imperfectly or sporadically) because these simple moments fly by so fast. They'll be extraordinary to me soon enough.

What moments have you been savoring this week?